The Alamosa refuge includes more than 11,000 acres, eight miles southeast of the city, and shelters migratory birds and wildlife. Most of it sits in the Rio Grande floodplain, and it includes a visitor center and hiking trail. Backdrop of the refuge is 14,345-foot Mount Blanca.

The Monte Vista refuge to the northwest is focused on habitat for waterfowl, and water there is intensively managed, with dikes and other structures used to form diverse wetland habitats. Migrating greater sandhill cranes pass through in the spring and in the fall. A herd of several hundred elk is also visible on the refuge. A four-mile auto tour is available, and the refuge also may be viewed from county roads open year-round.